A conveyor for conveying and buffering articles and the like along a vertically extending, substantially helical path is known, for example from U.S. Pat. No. 6,935,485. The conveying means of said known conveyor consist of a roller track with so-called “powered rollers”, which rollers are provided with an internal motor, which can be turned on and off via switch devices. Thus, articles can be buffered in the zones by stopping the drive motors and be transported further again by activating the drive motors. Although such a system functions satisfactorily, the “powered rollers” are comparatively costly and require a high level of maintenance.